More Matterhorn, January 1960
I've got two neat views of the Matterhorn for you today, from back when it was still brand-new.
This first photo is from an unusual perspective; our photographer was standing in the queue of the Tomorrowland Skyway station, It's kind of neat to see the Skyway cables and buckets from this angle! Hopefully none of the people in line fall into the categories of "spitters" or "swingers".
This view is a bit more conventional; we're standing at the hub, with the House of the Future partially hidden behind two orange trees that can hardly hold more fruit! The Matterhorn's snow line is not as low as it became later; that's always a tipoff that you are seeing an early photo.
13 comments:
Terrific Skyway shot! I don't remember seeing those orange trees before. So there was some edible landscaping in Tomorrowland prior to the the ugly "Brown Tomorrrowland" of 1998....who knew?
*breathes deep*
Ah the smell of fresh mountain. As the Maj has oft quipped. From, as I oft have, 'the horn that Matters'. The others, as great as they are, are the others.
It took a while for the er microclimate to settle in and bring more snows. Yeah. Gosh in a few more years the snow line fell so far that amazing crop of oranges would be in danger of frost. Accounting for their eventual removal...
Hm I think I do spot a couple in that top pic who might be swingers. But, this is 1960, so that is not such a bad thing. ;)
Thanks for the welcome backs, Maj, JG, TM!, Nancy & the Gorillas Don't Gang gang.
TM!, yes there was but the corporate types became paranoid that having oranges right there on the trees might give some consumer an idea and cut into precious consumable sales. ;)
I also notice there is a whole little grove of pines up on the 'horn (our right, ~ middle height). Was there a whole cluster in one spot like that later on? And there's the Matterhorn's poster in the same shot, our right. :)
Chiana, Ha! After the trees were removed, sales at Sunkist House (Main St.) and Sunkist I Presume? (Adventureland) skyrocketed!
Always fun to see inside either one of the Skyway stations. While just a glimpse, it did bring back some good memories and time watching the 'throwers' do their thing.
In the 60s we needed to worry about the spitters and the swingers. In the 70s we had to worry about the tokers, in the 80s it was the lovers. When the snipers came in, it was time to remove the ride.
It seems the gray rocks have faded over time. The dark shade makes everything look too small, somehow.
I think it feels bigger today. Maybe the mature trees help.
Is that really an orange tree? Unusual to see a fruit tree used in a commercial landscape, since the dropped fruit is such a nuisance. It rots, attracts vermin, tempts passers-by to eat it or climb the tree, etc. Constant clean-up required, but they are handsome in season.
Thank you, Major.
JG
Awesome first shot, wow! I rarely boarded the Skyway on the Tomorrowland side, it seems so much higher than the Fantasyland side!
There's still orange trees near the entrance to Tomorrowland (link), but as TM said, they were added in 'the 98 update with the other edible plants! Oh and the oranges are hard to reach and don't taste very good, so I hear...
I'm thinking these orange trees are left-overs from the original orchards.
I think we've probably all heard/read the story about how Walt wanted to save a lot more trees from the original groves for the park, but I'll rehash it anyway.
At the start of construction, trees were selected for preservation at their original location, movement to a new location, or removal and were marked with colored ribbons to show what was to be done with them. Unfortunately, the bulldozer operator removing the trees was colorblind and tore out many more trees than intended before someone in charge realized what was happening and stopped it.
There are still some pre-1955 trees standing in the Park. The line of eucalyptus trees behind Town Hall is one example. Another is the "Dominguez Palm" next to the queue building for the Jungle Cruise, which originally stood next to the Dominguez house where former Disneyland CM and exec Ron Dominguez grew up. Plans were altered when the new building was built in 1994 to ensure the tree was unharmed.
These were UBER neato!
TM!, I know those orange trees have shown up in other photos, but maybe not quite so covered in fruit.
Chiana, I am glad that you are back (I wondered if something bad had happened), and even received at least one email asking about you. As for the pines on the side of the mountain, somebody smarter than me will have to answer.
Thufer, I agree, I used to be amazed watching the buckets come in, get caught, load up, and head back out.
Katella, I don't think I ever worried about the tokers or the lovers, but snipers would be a problem! And I believe you are correct about the trees being left over from the original orange groves.
JG, the Matterhorn DOES look darker in old photos; a lighter shade would give a better illusion of "aerial perspective", as they called it in art class.
VDT, it seems really strange that the new oranges wouldn't taste good, unless they are picked when they are not ripe.
Chuck, I have definitely read that story, but it's a good one. As for the surviving pre-1955 trees, it is a miracle that anything is still there.
Connie, I didn't know you spoke German!
@Chuck and KG.
Well, of course, ...existing trees.
I feel stupid now. I'm so used to thinking of Disneyland as a complete new-build, the thought of existing plantings surviving just never occurred to me.
I do remember the comment about the Dominguez Palm, and it is very evident in the Google Earth photo of that area near Jungle Cruise.
Thanks for the good info.
JG
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